This invention relates to a connector engaging/disengaging device for engaging and disengaging a plurality of electrical connectors (which will simply be referred to as xe2x80x9cconnectorsxe2x80x9d) to and from a plurality of mating connectors and, in particular, to a connector engaging/disengaging device for engaging and disengaging a plurality of connectors connected to a plurality of cables to and from a plurality of mating connectors mounted on a printed circuit board for the purpose of data transmission between electronic components.
In existing electronic apparatus, electrical cables (which will simply be referred to as xe2x80x9ccablesxe2x80x9d) are used for transmitting signals between electronic parts and connectors are used for electronic connection between the cables and the parts. For example, in order to electrically connecting a particular one of printed circuit boards with other ones of the printed circuit boards and/or electrical elements through cables, connectors are mounted on the particular circuit board, while the cables are led out from the other printed circuit boards and the electrical elements and mounted with cable connectors at their ends. The cable connectors are engaged with corresponding ones of the connectors mounted on the particular printed circuit board. Each of the cables often has a plurality of conductor lines, although it has a single conductor line. Accordingly, each of cable connectors has a plurality of contacts or a single contact. In a case, a plurality of cables are accommodated in a single cable connector having a plurality of contacts. Each of the connectors mounted on the particular printed circuit board has a number of contacts equal to the number of contacts in the corresponding one of the cable connectors.
When carrying out wiring operation in a housing of an electronic apparatus, it is necessary to engage and connect connectors to each other. Since the engaging operation is usually performed by use of hands, the housing is required to have a relatively large space sufficient to enables the manual operation in the housing. This results in demand of a relatively large-size housing to be used.
In recent electronic apparatus, especially, computers, electronic parts used have been increased in number, and therefore, cables and connectors have also been increased in number. Further, for the demand of small-size of the apparatus itself and of reduction of signal transmission time, it is required that the housing is small-sized, parts being mounted in small mounting density, and cables being reduced in length. Therefore, on one hand, the wiring operation becomes more difficult because manual operation for engaging connectors to each other must be an reduced space in the housing, and, on the other hand, insurance of the manual operation of the wiring make it difficult to small size the apparatus.
It is an object of this invention to provide a connector engaging/disengaging device which is capable of easily and rapidly engaging/disengaging a number of connectors accommodated in a small frame and a number of mating connectors mounted on a circuit board.
According to this invention, there is provided a connector engaging/disengaging device for connecting/disconnecting between first electrical connectors and second electrical connectors. The device comprises: at least one carrier plate adapted to carry the first electrical connectors thereon and having opposite end portions in a first direction, the end portions having engaging bosses projecting from the end portions in the first direction; a support member supporting the at lest one carrier plate slidable in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and having slider guide grooves extending in a third direction perpendicular to the first and second direction, the support member having support portions adapted to support the second connectors so that the second electrical connectors face the first electrical connectors carried on the at least one carrier plate; and a pair of slider rods assembled in the support members slidable in the slider guide grooves in the third direction, the slider rods having slider grooves engaging the engaging bosses of the at lest one carrier plate so that the at least one carrier plate is moved in the second direction by slide of the slider rods in the third direction so as to perform connection and disconnection of the first electrical connectors with the second electrical connectors.
According to an embodiment, each of the slider groove comprises a first straight groove portion extending in the third direction, second straight groove portion extending in the third direction but offset from the first straight groove portion in the second direction, and an inclined groove portion connecting between the first straight groove portion and the second straight groove portion.
According to another embodiment, the first electrical connectors are cable connectors and the second electrical connectors are header connectors mounted on a printed circuit board.
According to an embodiment, the support portions of the support member are support flanges, the printed circuit board having a pair of flanges fixed at opposite sides thereof and a pair of L-shaped guide portions fixedly mounted on the flanges to form gaps between the flanges and foots of xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d of the L-shaped guide portions, the printed circuit board is attached to the support member by the support flanges of the support members being inserted in the gaps.
In an embodiment, the shape of the at least one carrier plate is in a generally rectangular form having an upper side and a lower side in the second direction and opposite ends in the first direction, the carrier plate has a generally U-shaped locking spring at the center thereof in the first direction and generally L-shaped locking springs at both the ends thereof, a first stopper on the lower side at the center in the first direction and second stoppers on the lower side at both the ends thereof, the carrier plate further having generally L-shaped projecting portions formed at the both end portions with the bosses being fixed on the projecting portions, respectively.
In a preferred embodiment, the support member comprising a pair of side blocks, and a front plate fixed onto front surfaces of the side blocks to thereby joint the side blocks.
Each of the side blocks has vertical guide grooves in the second direction and receiving the L-shaped projecting portions slidable therein in the second direction, stopper plates are fixedly mounted onto the side blocks to prevent the L-shaped projecting portions from going out of the vertical guide grooves.